White House Denounces Morsi’s Comments on Jews, Zionists

Updated at 2:28 am, January 16th, 2013

AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House on Tuesday sharply rebuked comments made by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi before he rose to power in 2010 in which he exhorted followers to hate Jews and Zionists.

Obama administration spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at his daily press briefing that Morsi “should make clear he respects people of all faiths…We strongly condemn these comments…This type of rhetoric is unacceptable in a democratic Egypt.”

What now concerns the U.S. is Morsi’s sincerity since he has pledged to uphold a longstanding treaty Egypt has with Israel while seeking peace in the volatile region.

That could prove difficult with a videotape surfacing of Morsi, who as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, urged Egyptians to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists.

Morsi also described Zionists as “bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs.”